Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on March 13 2014, by Matt Newman
Our second Orchid Evening of 2014 kicks off this Saturday night, March 15, and there are still some tickets left! Revelers this time around can look forward to “The Desert Rose,” a cocktail of Creme Yvette berry liqueur, tart lime juice, and—naturally—the spicy bite of mescal. Check out our Orchid Evenings event page for more info or to register. Don’t wait too long!
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Exhibitions on March 12 2014, by Matt Newman
Walking through the Ross Gallery on my way to the office each morning, I like to pause a moment and admire the greenery clothing the walls. There’s no vertical garden on display, per se. Rather, the photography of Allan Pollok-Morris is so verdant as to come close to imitating one. His compositions of Scottish countrysides, estate gardens, and landscape sculpture depict a depth of color and foliage that we seldom see on the left side of the Atlantic, and there’s a grandeur to each image that belies the “humble ruggedness” many default to when discussing Scotland.
Sadly, after months of lovely display here at the Garden, Close: The Photography of Allan Pollok-Morris will be moving on as of this Sunday, March 16.
To give you a refresher of what you’ve been missing out on if you haven’t yet made a stop to see this photo exhibition, I put together a slideshow of some of Allan’s iconic works hanging now in the Ross Gallery. Each photograph depicts the landscapes, sculptures, or gardens of a designer living or working in Scotland—natives and expats alike.
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Posted in Adult Education on March 12 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG’s Gardener for Public Education.
Our spate of presentations from international gardening savants continued in February with British landscape architect Kim Wilkie, who joined us for the second of our annual Winter Lectures. At face value he may seem mild-mannered, but make no mistake: Wilkie loves to play in the mud. He shifts massive amounts of soil to sculpt the landscape in a very literal fashion.
Wilkie began his discussion by explaining how he infuses his contemporary ideas with historical perspectives. One source of inspiration is Mother Nature. He paid tribute to the powerful influence of ice and water, and the role of erosion in shaping the landscape. After this long, punishing winter, most of us will remember ice and water as a combined nuisance, reflecting on the piles of snow that buried our cars and blocked sidewalks. Wilkie, however, had a much more romanticized view of nature, presenting images of graceful contours carved into the land by winding rivers and glacial erosion.
In his quintessentially British Oxbridge manner, Wilkie related the fascinating chronology of both the military and spiritual tradition of moving massive amounts of earth to create man-made fortifications and construct sites for burial, solace, and worship. His slides carried us back in history with a sublime visual tour of this Northern European landscape custom.
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Posted in Photography on March 12 2014, by Matt Newman
Never, ever feel guilty about your snowdrop favoritism. Who else earns their keep by predicting spring so handily?
Galanthus elwesii in the Perennial Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on March 11 2014, by Lansing Moore
While we are well into The Orchid Show, I know our photography aficionados have not forgotten about this year’s Tropical Paradise Photo Contest. After lengthy deliberations over our six weekly winners in the Macro and Sense of Place categories, we are ready to announce the Grand Prize Winners in each category, recipients of a seat in the NYBG Adult Education photography class of their choice.
Most of all, I hope enjoying the outstanding weekly submissions on Plant Talk has inspired you all to enjoy the Garden through your own lens. If you want to challenge your skills and enhance your enjoyment of the Garden, then NYBG Adult Education offers a variety of classes to help you see the grounds in new ways. For those shutterbugs out there, the next class will be Photographing Birds, Bees, & Butterflies on April 26, but there are many more slated for spring as the Garden comes into full bloom. Whether with an iPhone or a full DSLR rig, there are classes for all subjects and levels of expertise.
Now for the moment that has been weeks in the making. We are very pleased to announce the Grand Prize Winners of the 2014 Tropical Paradise Photo Contest! Click through to find out.
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Posted in Photography on March 11 2014, by Matt Newman
Have no fear, the daffs are here! They’re still a bit sleepy as far as spring beauty goes, but it shouldn’t be long now.
Daffodils – Photo by Amy Weiss
Posted in The Orchid Show on March 10 2014, by Lansing Moore
We wrapped up our first week of The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary over the weekend, and we already have the first Orchid Evening event under our belts. The Orchid Show this year takes its inspiration from a garden designed by Raymond Jungles for an estate garden in Key West, whisking us away to Florida’s tropical climate. We bedecked the geometric reflecting pools, soaring angular pergolas, and sleek benches of this modern residence with hundreds of orchids! With so many varieties on view, the final effect is dazzling. For a burst of color on this March afternoon, click through for a look at The Orchid Show in all its glory.
There are an estimated 30,000 naturally occurring orchid species and tens of thousands of artificially created hybrids. We couldn’t possibly have room for all of them, but there is a stunning array on display at the Conservatory, and thousands of types in the Garden’s permanent collection.
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Posted in Photography on March 10 2014, by Matt Newman
We’re not actually in Montana. Though, for a moment, one might’ve been fooled.
In the Ross Conifer Arboretum – Photo by Patricia Gonzalez
Posted in Photography on March 9 2014, by Matt Newman
Cinchona in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Amy Weiss
Posted in Photography on March 8 2014, by Matt Newman
Skip the bars, step into the jungle (not the one Axl Rose was so adamant about, mind you). Tonight, our Conservatory—with all its thousands of orchids—becomes home to cocktails, music, and not a single hint of winter’s chill. Grab tickets to tonight’s Orchid Evening before they’re gone.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
